We are witnessing a defining moment for health care in Connecticut.
Recently, UConn Health launched the UConn Health Community Network, a first-of-its-kind partnership designed to strengthen and sustain community hospitals across the state. The Network formally began its work on March 1, when Waterbury Hospital joined as its inaugural member, now known as “UConn Health Waterbury Hospital.”
On March 4, I joined Governor Lamont, State Comptroller Sean Scanlon, UConn Health and Community Network CEO Dr. Andrew Agwunobi, and many others to mark this historic milestone for both institutions. Waterbury Hospital has been a vital part of the city for more than 130 years, and this new partnership ensures that its legacy of care will endure and evolve.
The creation of this Network reflects UConn Health’s long-term strategic plan to strengthen healthcare delivery statewide by expanding access, supporting community hospitals, and building a high-value health system that can grow thoughtfully over time. The vision is clear: improve quality, expand access, and help reduce the total cost of care while preserving the distinct identities and roles of local hospitals.
With this launch, the award-winning academic quality and expertise of UConn Health, the state’s only academic medical center, can now be shared more broadly.
As Connecticut’s flagship public university, UConn’s responsibility extends beyond our campuses. We are called to serve communities across our state through education, discovery, and care.
Waterbury Hospital (Courant File photo)
The launch of the new network is responsibility in action. Beginning in Waterbury, we are connecting that academic strength, knowledge, expertise, and opportunity more directly to community-based care. This model represents the very best of public service.
We are especially proud that this milestone is taking place in Waterbury, a city where UConn has had a presence for more than 80 years. From the early days of the Waterbury Extension Center to today’s vibrant downtown campus, UConn has been part of that community’s educational and economic growth.
We are not simply present in Waterbury as an academic institution. We are deepening our partnership in health, research, and service.
An excellent demonstration of this commitment is the recent gift by the DeLuca Foundation of more than $10 million to support a pathway for nursing students at UConn Waterbury; the Husky Prep Academy, which supports Waterbury public high school students; and the Ideas to Action Lab, which introduces students to health and STEM careers.
Academic excellence, research, public service, and state-of-the-art healthcare are not mutually exclusive disciplines. In Waterbury, we will show how they can reinforce and advance one another.
Getting to this point required an exceptional amount of work, coordination, and effective planning, along with critical support from the governor, General Assembly and partners across the state. We owe our thanks and congratulations to them, many other state officials, and our Board of Trustees and the UConn Health Board of Directors.
We also owe a great thanks to the incredibly dedicated teams of health care providers and staff at both UConn Health and Waterbury Hospital, who are the backbone of this endeavor.
Central to this achievement has been the determined, disciplined, highly strategic, and future-focused leadership of UConn Health and Community Network CEO Dr. Andrew Agwunobi. Drawing on decades of experience revitalizing and sustaining complex healthcare systems, he has guided UConn Health through a period of transformational growth.
Dr. Andrew Agwunobi leads UConn Health as its chief executive. (Courant file photo)
Under his leadership, UConn Health has seen dramatic gains in quality and safety, patient volume, and financial performance, including a 157% increase in clinical revenue over the past decade, going from $451.5 million in 2016 to more than $1.1 billion this year.
We are fortunate to have Dr. Agwunobi leading this new effort on behalf of our state, which will help ensure that Connecticut and UConn Health are well positioned to meet the needs of patients and communities into the future.uc
Radenka Maric is the president of the University of Connecticut.